Rivermen brace for Gators first visit in decade, put playoff tickets on sale

Thursday

Feb 27, 2014 at 6:58 PM

Dave Eminianof the Journal Star

PEORIA -- The Louisiana IceGators will be back in Carver Arena on Friday, almost a decade to the night of their last appearance here against the Peoria Rivermen.

The Rivermen and Gators were in the ECHL when they last met in Peoria on March 2, 2003, a 3-1 victory for Louisiana.

Both teams left the ECHL after the 2004-05 season. Peoria moved up to the class-AAA American Hockey League.

Louisiana folded, the market dark until a new team formed in the class-A Southern Professional Hockey League in 2009.

They meet again for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday. The huge Rivermen banner on the wall at the top of the upper bowl in Carver Arena carries some history these two teams carved out against each other.

Then-Rivermen center Jason Christie is pictured hoisting the Kelly Cup on that banner, a moment captured at Louisiana's expense when Peoria clinched the Cup with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6 here on May 31, 2000.

That was pretty much the end of the Peoria franchise's playoff era. The Rivermen beat Atlantic City in the 2003-04 playoffs and haven't won a postseason series since then.

Their task this weekend is to snap a losing streak at three games and inch closer to a playoff spot in their inaugural SPHL season.

Peoria can't clinch this weekend. But it's almost there. The Rivermen need to mathematically lock two of the league's 10-teams behind them to clinch a playoff spot. Peoria's magic number is 11 on Fayetteville and 7 on Bloomington.

PLAYOFF TICKETS: The Rivermen are confident they will make postseason play, and they put playoff ticket packages on sale Thursday.

The Season Ticket Holder Playoff Plan -- which, actually, is available to anyone, including non-season ticket holders -- includes glass and lower bowl center seats for $13; lower bowl end zone setas for $11; upper bowl seats for $9 and Pilot House upper bowl seats for $8.

Do get that season ticket holder price, you must commit to buying for all rounds of the playoffs. There are three possible rounds, all best-of-3 series.

Here are the individual playoff game ticket prices:

** $15 for glass and lower bowl center.

** $13 for lower bowl end zone.

** $10 for upper bowl.

** $8 for upper bowl Pilot House.

For more information, contact the Rivermen at (309) 676-1040.

RIVER READINGS: The Rivermen released winger Jeremiah Ketts on Thursday. ... Peoria moved speedy little winger Locke Jillson from a 3-game tryout contract to a full contract on Thursday. ... The Rivermen are looking at three college goalies as candidates to serve as veteran Kyle Rank's backup down the stretch. All three are with teams expected to continue playing through the weekend. So it's likely Peoria will again sign emergency backup extraordinaire Brian Hamilton.

Dave Eminian covers the Rivermen for the Journal Star. Reach him at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.

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